24 comments:

I doubt it... Columbia loves to make it hard for any small business to survive. Firstly with their unreasonably high property taxes, and secondly with their meter police ready to fine potential customers any chance they can. I used to patronize Taco To Go with a large order every week and the meter people wouldn't let me park there for two mins to go inside and pick up my order without putting money in the meter. I haven't gone back for over a year. How welcoming is that??? With the bad reputation Columbia has, they should have the lowest property taxes in the county to bring business in and turn the town around.

I bet they pay more that $11,000 for the "meter enforcement officers".

Nobody is saying they should remove the meters. But the predatory enforcement is a not the way to encourage visitors. Someone comes to go to one of the breweries or antique stores and gets a parking ticket - what are the chances they will return?

I can't understand why people can't simply put a quarter in a meter and be done with it. The alternative is to remove the meters and let people park in front of the businesses all day not allowing customers any parking access. Another alternative is to remove the meters at businesses and post signs indicating a time limit for the parking, such as 15 or 30 minutes with the signs indicating the times the restriction is in effect.

wHAT WOOD HAPPEN IF THE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF RENTAL PROPERTIES JUST WENT AWAY,CAN YOU SAY A SLUM/GHOST TOWN,THESE PEOPLE BRING MONEY IN TO THIS TOWN,WAY MORE THAN TRAIL WALKERS AND RIVER PARK VISITORS,AND LOOK AT THE MONEY THE BOROUGH THROWS AT THEM, AND NOW A FREE TROLLEY TO TRY TO HAUL THEM UP INTO TOWN TO SPEND MONEY AT THE TAX PAYERS EXPENCE.

This article is about a new business coming to town. Can't we leave it at that, be thankful and welcome them?Geez.....you people are ridiculously sad!And before you come at me, I'm not: the mayor, a council person, an employee, a business owner, or spouse of any of the aforementioned....just a resident.